Academia Cesar Chavez’s founder Ramona A. de Rosales holds a golden shovel during the groundbreaking ceremony for the school’s new 35,000-square-foot expansion. The expansion will combine the former Blessed Sacrament church building with the current school building and a new structure, giving the school capacity to add 7th and 8th grade classes, a gymnasium, and a large library, among other features. (Patrick Larkin/Review)

Will turn former Blessed Sacrament church into library
Setting in motion plans to nearly double their square footage, Academia Cesar Chavez celebrated the groundbreaking of a 35,000-square-foot expansion on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
The school is undergoing an expansion on its site at the former Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church space on White Bear Avenue at Ames Avenue.
A series of speeches were delivered at the groundbreaking in both Spanish and English, underlining the charter school's dedication to its dual-language approach.

Sy Vang harvests some sweet potatoes at the Hope Lutheran Church garden. Vang along with seven other Hmong women worked the gardens this summer, growing a wide variety of food to feed their families and share with friends. (Patrick Larkin/Review)

With Hmong neighbors and a diverse neighborhood overall, Hope Lutheran Church has been hoping to make better connections with its surrounding Greater East Side community.